News & Highlights
At the 2026 Phi Zeta Research Day, students and trainees from the DRIVE Lab and our collaborators in the Picasso Lab presented research on the main challenges in dairy cattle health, infectious disease epidemiology, diagnostics, and biosecurity.
Special congratulations to Keya Mohanto, Lucia Martinez Martinez, and Caroline Lane, who received Best Presentation Awards for their research!
From the DRIVE Lab, Lucia Martinez presented research on longitudinal antibody dynamics following HPAI H5N1 outbreaks in dairy cattle; Keya Mohanto presented the development of a biosecurity index and identification of biosecurity practice profiles among Michigan dairy producers; and Isabel Leadbetter presented an evaluation of a post-milking teat dip for preventing new intramammary infections.
From the Picasso Lab led by Dr. Catalina Picasso, Caroline Lane presented an evaluation of molecular and serologic assays for HPAI H5N1 using Bayesian latent class models; Jiawei Liu presented modeling of within-herd HPAI H5N1 transmission using surveillance data from intraruminal devices; and Xiu Wu presented research on the spatiotemporal dynamics of farm-level HPAI H5N1 transmission in Michigan.
Graduation Day! Congratulations to Vaishnavi and Andrew on earning their M.S. degrees in Data Science, and to Beth from the Picasso Lab on earning her M.S. in Epidemiology. A great milestone and well-deserved achievement!
Fishing Day! The DRIVE and Picasso Labs enjoyed a great day together, catching 12 rainbow trout and one massive catfish (caught by Luca!) And yes, we left a few fish for the other visitors too! :)
Volleyball time! Taking a break from research for some friendly competition! DRIVE Lab vs Picasso’s lab. No one keeps score here… or so we say! ;)
At the 2026 Dairy Open House. The MSU Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center opened its doors to the community to share information about the farm, ongoing research, and Michigan’s dairy industry. Lucia Martinez helped lead farm tours and engage with visitors throughout the event.